The way Hijikata tensed up was reassuring, in a way. Not because it was the reaction he'd been aiming for, but because it made him feel a little better about his earlier lapse.

When Hijikata relaxed again, and didn't give any indication that he should stop, Souji took it as permission to continue. They were so different from his own scars, and he could trace the trajectory of them back, from heavy scaring to lighter marks scattering back along his chest.